Means for interconnecting the harnesses and treadles on a loom



G. F. LEAGUE 3,053,284

s AND TREADLES on A LOOM Filed Sept. 29, 1960 Sept. 11, 1962 MEANS FOR INTERCONNECTING THE HARNESSE INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,53,2fi4 MEANS FOR INTERCONNECTING TIE HAR- NESfiES AND TREADLES ON A LOOM George F. League, P.O. Box 125, Greenville, S.C. Filed Sept. 29, 1960, Ser. No. 59,407 Claims. (Cl. 13988) This invention relates generally to an improved means for interconnecting the harnesses and treadles of a loom and more particularly to an improved jack stick and jack stick strap having improved jack stick connector means which may be secured in various longitudinal positions along the jack stick whereby a Single type of jack stick may be utilized in any treadle position of the loom.

Most jack sticks currently in use are manufactured to receive and support the upper end of the jack strap at a single position longitudinally thereof. Thus, a mill must maintain a stock of jack sticks for operation with each treadle position of the loom because any particular jack stick will only operate in one treadle position. In some cases, it is possible to reverse the ends of the jack stick and make the jack stick operate in two treadle positions, however, the mill must still maintain an inventory of jack sticks for several treadle positions, depending upon the number of treadle positions on the looms in use in the mill.

It has been proposed in U.S. Patent No. 2,951,507 to provide means for interconnecting the harnesses and treadles of a loom by utilizing a jack stick which has a plurality of upstanding projections spaced longitudinally therealong. In this patent the upper end of the jack strap is provided with a connector which is movable longitudinally along the jack stick and has an opening therein for positioning on any one of the upstanding projections. The upper end of the jack strap is held in position on the projection by a locking cam member which is engageable with the lower surface of the jack stick when the jack strap is in perpendicular relationship to the jack stick. Although this arrangement permits a single type of jack stick to be used in any of the treadle positions on the loom, the upstanding projections on the jack stick present obstacles which tend to collect lint and the like, which may interfere with the operation of other parts of the loom and which prevent storage of the jack sticks in close proximity to each other. Also, the locking cam member is positioned on the upper end of the turnbuckle end of the jack strap and in order to release the jack strap for longitudinal movement along the jack stick, the turnbuckle end must be pivoted and brought substantially parallel to the jack strap.

With the foregoing in mind, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide improved mean for interconnecting the harnesses and treadles on a loom which includes an improved jack stick and jack stick strap which may be secured to the jack stick in any one of a plurality of longitudinal positions along the jack stick whereby a single type of jack stick may be employed in any of the treadle positions of the loom, thereby requiring the purchase of only a single type of jack stick by the mill.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved means for interconnecting the harnesses and treadles on a loom which includes an improved jack stick having a relatively smooth exterior surface which is free of any outwardly extending projections which might interfere with the operation of other parts of the loom and which might collect lint and the like.

It is another object of the present invention to provide means for interconnecting the harnesses and treadles on a loom which includes an improved jack stick strap ice having an improved jack stick connector which is adapted to surround and slide along the smooth jack stick and which connector is provided with locking means movable into penetrating engagement with the jack stick to lock the connector in adjusted longitudinal position along the jack stick.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved interconnecting means between the harnesses and treadles on a loom which is economical to produce, simple to connect in adjusted position and which has a long useful life.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide an improved interconnecting means for the harnesses and treadles of a loom in which the locking means comprises a threaded member which is threadably supported in the jack stick connector and the threaded member is movable into penetrating engagement with the jack stick.

It is another specific object of the present invention to provide an improved interconnecting means of the type described above in which jack stick strap positioning means, in the form of a plurality of spaced apart drilled holes, is provided along the jack stick to receive the threaded member carried by the jack stick connector.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the acc mpanying drawings, in which- FIGURE 1 is a perspective fragmentary view of the central portion of a loom illustrating the improved jack sticks and jack stick straps positioned in operative position to interconnect the harnesses with corresponding treadles;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary isometric view of the central portion of one of the improved jack sticks shown in FIGURE 1 and showing the jack stick connector of the improved jack strap locked in adjusted position in one of the drilled holes spaced along the jack stick;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the jack stick connector and the jack stick, being taken substantially along the line 33 in FIGURE FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary isometric view similar to FIGURE 2 but showing a modified form of jack stick connector which is locked in position on a jack stick which does not have spaced apart drilled holes therein;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view through the modified form of jack stick connector and jack stick, being taken substantially along the line 55 in FIGURE 4.

Referring to FIGURE 1, a perspective fragmentary view of the central portion of a loom is shown to illustrate the improved means for interconnecting the harnesses 10 with corresponding treadles 11 of the loom. The loom is provided with a front girt 12 which supports a treadle shaft bracket 13 which in turn supports a treadle shaft 14 on which the forward ends of the treadles 11 are oscillatably supported. Spaced apart middle girts 16 and 17 are suitably supported at their forward ends on the front girt 12 and at their rear ends on a back girt 18.

The lower ends of bearing members 20 and 21 are suitably supported on the respective middle girts 16 and 17 and their upper ends rotatably support a harness cam shaft 22. Rotation is imparted to the harness cam shaft 22 in a conventional manner, not shown, through a gear 24 to impart rotation to a plurality of harness cams 25 which engage and oscillate corresponding treadles 11 in timed relationship to operation of the loom.

A plurality of jack straps, broadly indicated at 30, are connected at their lower ends to the treadles 11 and their upper ends are connected to corresponding elongated jack sticks 32. Opposite ends of the jack sticks 32 are connected to opposite ends of the lower frame member of corresponding harnesses by a plurality of jack hooks 33.

The parts heretofore described are conventional parts of a loom and the present invention is primarily concerned with improvements in the connection between the jack straps and jack sticks 32. Although the loom shown has four treadle positions it is to be understood that the present invention may be used with looms having any number of treadle positions. It will be noted in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 that the upper end of each jack strap 30 is provided with jack stick connector means in the form of an inverted U-shaped jack stick connector member having opposed legs 36 and 37 which are connected together at their upper ends by a bridging or bight portion 38. The lower ends of opposed legs 36 and 37 of the jack stick connector member 35 are suitably secured to the upper portion of the jack strap 30 in any suitable manner. The connector member 35 surrounds the sides and upper portion of the jack stick 32 and the lower portions of the legs 36 and 37 of the connector member 35 are offset by bends 41 (FIGURE 3) which engage the lower edges of the jack stick 32 to limit upward movement of the connector 35, relative to the jack stick 32. It is preferred that the connector 35 have relatively free sliding movement longitudinally along the jack stick 32.

The lower portion of the jack strap 30, below the connector 35, may be of any well known type. In the present instance the pack strap 30 includes an upper turnbuckle end 39 which is pivotally connected as at 40 to the legs of the connector 35 and the lower end thereof is threadably connected to the .upper end of a turnbuckle 42 (FIG- URE 1). The upper end of a lower turnbuckle end 43 is threadably connected to the lower end of the turnbuckle 42 and the lower end thereof is bent to form a treadle receiving portion.

In order to lock the connector 35 in the desired longitudinal position along the jack stick 32, the connector 35 is provided with a threaded member 45 (FIGURES 2 and 3) which threadably penetrates an internally threaded rivet 46 fixed in a hole in the bridging portion 38 of the connector 35. Rotatation of the threaded member 45 in one direction will cause the inner end thereof to move inwardly between the legs 36 and 37 of the connector 35 and rotation of the threaded member 45 in the opposite direction will cause the inner end thereof to move outwardly from between the legs 36 and 37 of the connector 35. When the threaded element 45 is removed or its inner end is moved outwardly, the connector 35 will be free to slide longitudinally along the jack stick 32.

In order to aid in aligning the jack strap with the proper treadle 11, the jack stick 32 may be provided with jack stick strap positioning means in the form of a plurality of spaced apart holes 50 (FIGURE 2) drilled in the upper surface of the jack stick 32. The holes '50 are spaced to correspond with the spacing between corresponding treadles 11. Although only four holes 50 are shown, it is to be understood that the jack stick 32 may be provided with any number of holes, depending upon the number of treadles 11 on the loom and the holes 50 will be spaced apart to correspond to the spacing of the treadles 11.

The connector 35 may be locked in the proper treadle position on the jack stick 32 by centering the connector 35 over the proper hole 50 and then rotating the threaded member 45 to cause the inner end thereof to move into the drilled hole 50 beneath the connector 35 (FIGURE 3). With the inner end of the threaded member 45 penetrating a hole 50 in the jack stick 32, the connector 35 and the jack stick strap 30 will be securely held on the jack stick 32 and positioned in proper alinement above the corresponding treadle 11 to which the lower end of the jack stick strap 30 is connected.

A modified form of connector 35' is shown in FIG- 4 URES 4 and 5 which may be utilized to lock the upper end of the jack strap in adjusted position on a jack stick 32. Since the parts shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 are similar to corresponding parts shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, similar parts will bear like reference characters with the prime notation added.

In FIGURES 4 and 5, it will be noted that a threaded member 45' is threadably mounted in an internally threaded nut 46 which is suitably secured to the bridging portion 38 of the connector 35 in any suitable manner, such as by welding. Rotation of the threaded member 45 will move the inner end thereof inwardly or outwardly of the connector 35, depending upon the direction of the rotation imparted thereto.

In FIGURES 4 and 5, it will be noted that the upper edge of the jack stick 32 is smooth and does not have any holes drilled therein. In order to lock the connector 35 in the desired longitudinal position along the jack stick 32', an operator may slide the connector 35' along the jack stick 32 until it is in the proper position to be disposed in vertical alinement above the treadle 11 to which it is to be connected and then rotate the threaded member 45' until its inner end engages and penetrates the upper surface of the jack stick 32. When the inner end of the threaded member 45 penetrates the upper surface of the jack stick 32, as shown in FIGURE 5, the connector 35' will be locked in longitudinal position on the jack stick 32.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that a relatively simple and versatile means for interconnecting the harnesses and treadles on a loom has been provided whereby a single type of jack stick may be utilized in any of the various treadle positions on the loom.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. Means for interconnecting the harnesses and treadles on a loom having a plurality of elongated jack sticks connected at opposite ends to corresponding harnesses, a plurality of spaced apart treadles positioned beneath the medial portions of said jack sticks, and a plurality of vertically disposed jack straps connected at their lower ends to said treadles, said interconnecting means comprising a jack stick connector secured to the upper ends of each of said jack straps and surrounding the medial portion of corresponding jack sticks, said jack sticks each having a plurality of spaced holes therein in overlying relation to said treadles, and a threaded member threadably supported in each of said jack stick connectors and having an inner end penetratingly engaging one of the holes in said jack sticks to positively lock said connectors against longitudinal movement along said jack sticks.

2. Means for interconnecting the harnesses and treadles on a loom having a plurality of elongated jack sticks connected at opposite ends to corresponding harnesses, a plur-ality of spaced apart treadles positioned beneath the medial portions of said jack sticks, and a plurality of vertically disposed jack straps connected at their lower ends to said treadles, said interconnecting means comprising inverted U-shaped members having the bight portion thereof engaging the upper surface of the jack sticks and the legs thereof extending downwardly from the bight portion on opposite sides of the jack sticks and secured adjacent their lower ends to the upper ends of each of said jack straps, said jack sticks each having a plurality of spaced holes therein in the upper surface in overlying the holes in said jack sticks to positively lock said conrelation to said treadles, and a threaded member threadably in the bight portion of each said U-shaped members and having an inner end penetratingly engaging one of 5 nectors against longitudinal movement along said jack sticks.

3. A jack stick connector for use in looms having elongated jack sticks, said connector comprising an inverted U-shaped member adapt-ed to surround the medial portion of the jack sticks and to be slidable therealong, said U-shaped member having a pair of legs and a bridging portion connecting the legs, a threaded member threadably mounted in said bridging portion, and said threaded member having an inner end which is movable inwardly 1 and outwardly between said legs with rotation of said threaded member and adapted to penetratingly engage the surface of the jack stick to positively lock the connector against movement therealong.

4. In a structure according to claim 3 in which said bridging portion has an opening therein and an internally 6 threaded rivet is fixed in the opening and matingly receives said threaded member.

5. In a structure according to claim 3 in which said bridging portion has an opening therein and an internally threaded nut is welded to said bridging portion to support said threaded member for passage through the opening in said bridging portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 293,334 Kelly Feb. 12, 1884 961,463 Robidoux June 14, 1910 1,944,971 Emmons Ian. 30, 1934 2,670,919 Esoldi Mar. 2, 1954 15 2,951,507 McGuire et a1. Sept. 6, 1960 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,053,284

George F. League tified that error appears in the above numbered pat- It is hereby oer he said Letters Patent should read as ent requiring correction and that t corrected below.

Column 4, line ,75, after "one of insert the holes in said jack sticks to positively lock said con Signed and sealed this 1st day of January 1963,

(SEAL) Attest:'

DAVID L. LADD Commissioner of Patents ERNEST W. SWIDER Attesting Officer September 11,, 1962 

